An introduction to mixed methods research in agricultural economics: The example of farm investment in Ontario's Greenbelt, Canada

A dualistic vision of research with opposing quantitative and qualitative approaches has been challenged by the mixed methods research community. In agricultural economics, few articles use a methodology that integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches. In this article, we investigate two studies focusing on farm investment in Ontario's Greenbelt, Canada, to assess the use of mixed methods research in agricultural economics. We critically analyze the integration of the results of an econometric (quantitative) analysis and the results of a mental maps (qualitative) analysis: each step of the research process is scrutinized to highlight the relevancy of using mixed methods research in agricultural economics. We find that the results of the two research studies are aligned to some degree and complement each other on the issues of investment persistence, constraining layers of regulations, and access to labour. In particular, the results of the qualitative analysis can provide detailed information that can better explain the causal relationships observed in the results of the quantitative analysis. Overall, these results suggest that agricultural economists would benefit from using mixed methods research to enhance the breadth and depth of their analyses.